Perform: The You-est You
I recently saw a speaker enter the room with a set of tools so specialized that there was no possible way for anyone else to have given that talk. It wasn't that he was speaking about ideas that had never…
Articulate: Baby Got Back
Back of the tongue that is. The tongue is a large and dynamic muscle which is capable of a lovely array of sounds. Interesting for me is how we as American English speakers neglect some of the juicy variations made…
Disrupt: The Wild Can Be Human Work
"The wild can be human work" from H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald We all live pretty designed lives. We design them to look a certain way and seem a certain way, in ways that are pleasing to us.…
Observe: I Want It That Way
Last week, a NYC subway car became a site for communal song contagion. A person walked on exhibiting one of the most irritating of subway behaviors, playing loud music. Within a few minutes the entire car was singing along. This…
Acquire: Electric Slide
Before you get too concerned we are not actually going to use the electric slide to acquire a new vocal skill. We are going to engage with the voice in a slide though. Vocal flexibility, especially encouraging air flow in…
Disrupt: Laugh it Up
Laughter is great medicine. The only problem is that laughter is elusive when you need it the most. Thankfully, THIS you can fake, especially in groups. Get some friends together and work to make eachother laugh. If someone is resistant…
Observe: Curiouser and Curiouser
All of the best speakers and vocal performers I know share a characteristic. They are curious. They seek knowledge, of facts certainly, but also about life. They seek to know about people, and their experiences. They question and follow those…
Perform: What If I Build It and No One Comes
I teach a lot of workshops. Among them are self-created snapshots of my process which I run from my offices in Boston or Cambridge. These sometimes lead to future business but are mostly a way for me to share a…
Acquire: Look Down
At the bottom of your legs, are your feet. Possibly the most important, neglected part of your body. They hold our weight, and put up with variances in stance, gait, and usage. That is all before we even get into…
Articulate: Blow, Baby, Blow
Plosives. Those sexy sounds that cause us to articulate a puff of air as we utter them. They really are the super stars of articulation. Get these right, pay them the respect they are due, and your speaking clarity will…